By Ryan Ingram, TCRG League Reporter
Photos courtesy Bob Ayers
The roller girls are are baaa-aack!
The Terminal City Rollergirls’ fifth season officially kicks off this Saturday at Kerrisdale Arena, and this year, they’re taking their game to a whole new level.
The TCRG recently joined the respected ranks of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), added a brand new house team -- Public Frenemy -- and their All-Stars travel team has been battling contenders from all over the continent.
If you’re familiar with the fishnetted athleticis from the world of roller derby, you know there’s enough hard-hitting spectacle to keep you on the edge of your seat for both of Saturday’s bouts.
But if you’re unsure about who to cheer for on Saturday night, consider this a bit of a primer on the TCRG’s four house teams, and some things to anticipate in the season opener, as the Riot Girls take on Public Frenemy, and Bad Reputations go toe-to-toe with the Faster Pussycats.
Public Frenemy
Public Frenemy is the league’s brand-spanking-new team, which automatically puts them in ‘Rudy’ territory. With only four veterans on the team, and a whole lot of rookies, PF is a serious underdog this season. But if their first bout in Surrey last month was any indication, they’re going to be the hands-down crowd favorite. Expect Saturday’s crowd to be rocking a lot of bright green and orange, bringing the noize (and possibly the funk) for the underdogs as they prepare to do battle with the Riot Girls.
Player to watch: Collide-O-Scope Kid has been one of the most dynamic and reliable jammers for the Bad Reps, and now that she’s jumped to a new team, she’s bringing her experience and her electric skills with her.
Riot Girls
Think punk versions of Sarah Connor and Ripley on roller skates, clad in camouflage, and you’ll come close to the warrior toughness of the Riot Girls. They lost a solid group of their veterans to the All-Star team this year, and will be relying heavily on their rookies if they want a fourth consecutive appearance in the Championship Game. Saturday’s bout against Public Frenemy should be a good marker where the team stands this season. Regardless, these warriors won’t go down easily.
Player to watch: R Skullywag. The rookie jammer looked deadly in her first game against the Bad Reps, and it wasn’t just her rad skull face paint.
Bad Reputations
If there were Vegas odds for who would be crowned TCRG Season 5 Champs, the Bad Reps would definitely be favorites, after taking home the trophy three years in a row. Even though former MVP Rollergirl is now helping coach the team instead of skating with them, the Bad Reps’ roster is still locked, loaded and ready to explode across the flat track like their lightning bolt logo implies.
Player to watch: L.A. Gunns. She currently holds the league record for most points scored in a single jam – 25! – and is simply one of the league’s most talented players as both a jammer, and as a blocker in a pack. Gunns lives up to her name. She’s a weapon.
Faster Pussycats
Historically, the Faster Pussycats have been the league’s underdog team. Things have certainly changed this season. Hot off their first win against a house team, the FPC’s are poised to kill, kill. With a metric ton of training, hours of hard work and some serious team bonding, the purple and black team has gone from the basement to looking like a legitimate contender over the course of the last three seasons. Is this the year that they finally scratch their way into the Championship game?
Player to watch: Sissy Straight-Edge. The FPCs need a solution to the slow down the Bad Reps’ stable of talented jammers. Enter Sissy, dishing out lethal hip “punches” that might just knock the Reps off their pedestal.
So, who are you going cheer for?
Here's the skinny: TCRG’s Season 5 Home Opener is on Saturday, April 9 at Kerrisdale Arena (5670 East Blvd.) in Vancouver. Doors open at 5 pm, whistle blows at 6 pm. $15 advanced tickets are available online at Brown Paper Tickets, or in person (with small service charge) at Flaming Angels Boutique at 4307 Main Street in Vancouver. Tickets at the door are $20. Kids 6-12 are $10 each, and the wee ones under 6 are free!
